Linda Coyle's Blog

West Cork Pregnancy and Baby Fair

There will be a Pregnancy and Baby Fair at the Quality Hotel, Clonakilty on Sunday 24th June from 1pm-6pm. For more details, click here.

Music and Sound for Pregnancy and Childbirth: Cork Workshops June 2012

If you are pregnant or know someone who is, then they may be interested in attending one of my workshops on Using Music and Sound for Pregnancy and Childbirth which I will be running in The Arches, Clogheen and also An Sanctoir, Ballydehob, during June. For more information click here.

Apps for speech & language therapy

I’ve mentioned this great blog before, very useful if you’re looking for apps for working on speech and language:

http://appsforspeechtherapy.blogspot.com/

Chime choir puts stroke patients in tune with therapy

Interesting article which describes a music group for stroke patients in which group members played chimes and the benefits of the group. See:

http://triblocal.com/naperville/2012/04/19/chime-choir-puts-stroke-patients-in-tune-with-therapy/

Physician, Heal Thyself!…A personal experience of acute laryngitis

A recent bout of laryngitis, brought me for a short time, into the world of someone experiencing a voice problem. While in my working life, I frequently work with people who are hoarse, I had, up until recently, never experienced this myself. The laryngitis came on suddenly, starting with a sore throat, which ironically started during a voice therapy session. Within a few hours I was quite hoarse, but could still use my voice. I assumed that a good night’s sleep would sort this out, but the following day I had no voice at all, and this continued for the next few days. By the fourth day, a voice had come back but it didn’t seem to be mine, as people commented on how different I sounded. In the end it took a week for my voice to get back to normal, and even with that, I had to be aware of how I used my voice for the following week or two. It was quite a shock to open my mouth and find no sound come out, and it gave me some direct insight into what it was like to experience voice loss.

So, what did I do…well I decided I had better follow some of my own advice….

I increased my water intake, drinking a lot of lukewarm water with honey.

I rested as much as possible.

I stopped drinking coffee.

I avoided coughing and throat clearing as much as possible.

I did not answer the phone or make phone calls.

I limited how much I spoke. The hardest aspect of this was with my own children.

I used a lot of creative gesture and signing!

I cancelled clients as I didn’t think they’d appreciate my voice quality when doing speech or voice work!

And what was the hardest part of this illness…it was not being able to read stories to my three year old….but we’ve made up for it since!

Alternative Therapies Open Day

This Open Day will showcase Corks Alternative Therapists and will allow you to discover more about the alternative therapies which are available in your area.

With FREE Entry, The doors will be open from 2-6pm and all are welcome on Sunday, November 27th in the Quality Hotel, Clonakilty

Therapists with displays on the day will include a wide range of therapies such as; Osteopathy/Homeopathy/Massage/Hypnotherapy/Coaching/Astrology/Herbalist and many more. (If you are a therapist and would like to display please contact me directly)

This day will allow you the opportunity to meet therapists, pick up brochures, and look at products/gift vouchers which will be available for purchase on the day.

Alternative Therapies have been widely available for centuries in Eastern cultures but have over the last number of years become increasingly popular here in Ireland. There are a huge range of alternative therapies available and each works in a different way. In general they aim to strengthen your physical, emotional and mental health and also work at protecting you against illness.

If you have any questions about the day please contact Joyce on 087 9510554 or email joycestherapies@gmail.com

GentleBirth Workshop, Cork

If you’ve read my daughter’s birth story you will know that I am a big advocate of hypnobirthing. For Cork based Mum’s to be, the next GentleBirth weekend course will be on 26th and 27th November. It is not only of value for the mother, but also focuses on the Dad’s role during labour. For more information go to: http://www.birthingmamas.ie.

Easing tension and fear in childbirth…Singing and Sphincter Law

Sphincter law is a concept initiated by Ina May Gaskin, a prominent midwife in the area of Natural Childbirth. The blog Supportive Hands describes an interview with her and how, through encouraging a singer to sing during a difficult stage of labour, her labour progressed. To hear Ina May Gaskin discuss Sphincter Law go to this youtube clip.

Holistic Health Workshops- change of date

Due to unforseen circumstances the Workshops, ‘Music and Voice for Pregnancy and Childbirth’, and ‘Natural Therapies for Mum and Baby: Birth and Beyond’, have been rescheduled to Saturday 19th November at the Emmet Hotel, Clonakilty. Please see flyer for further details.

The Power of Music and the Voice in Pregnancy and Childbirth

Here is a copy of an article which I wrote for the October edition of the West Cork People.

Music has always been an important aspect of my life, so it was unsurprising that when I became pregnant with my first child, that music would have a key role to play. I regard music and pregnancy as being intertwined on so many levels. Rhythm is the essence of life, and this is made all the more real when you hear that little tiny heart beat playing its own rhythm. While I envisaged that listening to music would be valuable throughout my pregnancy, I didn’t appreciate the pivotal role that my own voice would have in supporting me through a natural, drug-free labour.

A key part of my preparation for labour was the use of hypnobirthing, an approach which focuses on removing the conscious and subconscious fear surrounding labour. This, in combination with actively using my voice to sing, chant, shout, cry, enabled me to have a labour which, while it was certainly very intense and hard work, was experienced with minimal pain. Having had such a positive birth experience, I anticipated that it could only be better the second time round, but this pregnancy had some surprises in store for me, and it is this story that I would like to share with you, and how music and my voice supported me through it.

While I knew in my head that every pregnancy is different, I couldn’t help but compare the two pregnancies, and see similarities and differences. Did my early symptoms, or lack of them, suggest a girl this time? Was my baby going to be born early like my firstborn? Of course, when you’re running around after a two year old, you don’t have much time or energy to dwell on being pregnant too much! But I guess I assumed that labour this time round could only be a positive experience, and for this, amongst other reasons, we decided to opt for a home birth.

While I again experienced a healthy pregnancy, during the last trimester I discovered that our baby was breech. Despite all attempts at turning the baby…you name it we did it…hot toes from moxibustion (a form of acupuncture), handstands in the pool, lying upside down on a tilted board…nothing worked. I felt strongly that I wanted to be able to have our baby naturally if at all possible. Having a natural breech birth is not a common thing in many hospitals today and most women in my situation are given no option but to go with a planned caesarean from the outset.

During this tumultuous time I started to build up a playlist of music which I was drawn to. I listened to it frequently as it provided the backdrop to working through the range of feelings that I had, from anger, fear, frustration, sadness, to a movement towards acceptance and then determination. One song in particular that I was drawn to was Ara Batur by Sigur Ros.

So I moved forward with a strong belief and determination to have a natural birth if at all possible. After researching the area of breech delivery, and in particular reading the work of Mary Cronk, I felt that I could do this once I was given the opportunity to go into labour naturally. I focused my energies in the lead up to the birth on visualising my ideal birth. I did this throughout the day, often while listening to my playlist as well as other music that I liked to relaxed to. Then, around 7pm, the evening before my due date, my waters broke. The final leg had begun, and with our firstborn happily playing with friends we left to go to the hospital.

Once at the hospital, I used music to help me stay in a relaxed focused state and to pass the time. I chose some ‘New Age’ vocal music by Igor Ezendam. I found that it took me away from the sounds of the ‘machines that go bing.’(a phrase from a Monty Python sketch about childbirth), the frequent poking and prodding, the repetitive questions, and the negative energy of some staff who were sceptical of my ability to do this myself.

Over the first few hours of labour, my contractions built up slowly. They gradually became more uncomfortable, but felt quite manageable. During contractions I found myself sighing quietly and this kept my breathing long and focused. Then some time around 11pm, the pain and intensity went off the scale. Ironically, this is what I had wanted, as I knew that labour for a breech baby needed to be fast and strong, but as the contractions got stronger I thought, ‘Be careful what you wish for!” My sounds reflected what I was experiencing within my body as I moved from a meditative hum, to loud, strong, animal-like sounds. And the outcome… just before 1am on her due date, following three pushes, our little girl was born. Her cry was the most beautiful music of all.

Childbirth is a space which brings us back to a more primitive part of our being. During both of my labours, using my voice freely was very much a part of tapping this part of me, and I believe it supported me in letting me go with my body during labour. I was immersed in a strong sea and I had to flow with it, but using my voice helped to keep me afloat when I felt like I was drowning. I know that the path of each labour could have gone differently. No matter how much you prepare, there are no guarantees when it comes to childbirth. We can only hope that our body and baby work together, and do what we can to, and leave the rest to a Power greater than ourselves.

As a music therapist I have integrated my personal experiences with my professional knowledge and am now offering workshops on music and the voice for pregnancy and childbirth. These workshops are open to women at all stages of pregnancy and their partners. The next workshop will take place on Saturday 5^th November from 10.00 to 12.30 in Clonakilty, as part of a day of workshops and information sessions on holistic pregnancy and birth. For information about any of these events, please contact

Linda Coyle, Music Therapist, Speech & Language Therapist, Ph. 087 2770752/ 023 8853924.

E-mail linda.coyle@moynihans.net, Website: http://www.speechlanguagetherapycork.com

Some useful websites:

http://www.gentlebirth.ie Information about hypnobirthing. Weekend workshops and home programmes are available.

http://www.spinningbabies.com A website with lots of ideas for encouraging your breech or transverse baby to turn.

http://www.aims.org.uk/Journal/Vol10No3/handOffbreech.htm An informative article by UK midwife Mary Cronk entitled, ‘Keep your hands off the breech’ which provides information regarding breech births.